Daily Devotional

August 26

A First Book of Daily Readings

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (selected by Frank Cumbers)

Looking unto Jesus ... always

... The next characteristic of faith is that it persists steadily in looking to Him and at Him.... Faith says, ‘What He has begun to do He can continue to do. The beginning of the work was a miracle, so if He can initiate a miraculous work He can keep it going; what He has already begun He can continue’ …. Yes, says Toplady,

The work which His goodness beganThe arm of His strength will complete.

That is an unanswerable argument.

Secondly, you and I can never doubt while we look at Him and are clear about Him. Without Him we are utterly hopeless. It does not matter how long you have been in the Christian life, you are dependent upon Him for every step. Without Him we can do nothing. We can only conquer our doubts by looking steadily at Him and by not looking at them. The way to answer them is to look at Him. The more you know Him and His glory the more ridiculous they will become. So keep steadily looking at Him. You cannot live on an initial faith—that is what Peter seems to have been trying to do.

Do not try to live on your conversion. You will be done before you know where you are ... you must keep on looking to Him every day. ‘We walk by faith’ and you live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You need Him as much on your deathbed as you did on the night you were converted; you need Him ah the time

One of the most perfect illustrations is the way the Children of Israel had to collect the manna each day but the sabbath. That is the Lord’s method. He does not give us enough for a month. We need a fresh supply every day, so start your day with Him and keep in touch with Him. That was Peter’s fatal error (Matthew 14:22–33); he looked away from Him. It is ‘the fight of faith’, you are walking on turbulent waves and the only way to keep walking is to keep looking at Him.